Quickie with Piggy- Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana

For a long long time I have been searching for an affordable but yummy pasta place for lunch. One day while idly browsing through Urbanspoon I saw Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana- 92% like it. WTF? I walked past this place from time to time and it doesn’t look that enticing. A tiny simple shop with some cakes on display. Has Urbanspoon got it wrong?

One day on my way to the City Library during lunch time I walk past Maccaroni Trattoria again. It was right on 12 noon and there were no customers. I tentatively walked in and was greeted by a shy waitress. At first I didn’t think she was friendly, but over the next few visits I think she was just shy.

I ordered the Baked Maccaroni Incasciati $14. It was so cheap but it was beautiful. Deliberately slightly burnt on the top, it has a slight crunchy and chew. The meatballs were moist and well flavoured. The whole concoction was so cheesy and yummy that I couldn’t help taking bite after bite… I was feeling full but my mouth just wanted more… and more… :P The place filled up by the time I left, but that was quite easy as there were only 4 tables back then.

The next time I visited, I had the Penne All Arrabbiata $13.50. Although the menu has 4 chillis next to the dish, this dish was pretty tasteless and I had to ask them for more chilli and add salt- I NEVER normally add salt to my dish! The pasta sauce was also quite watery- definitely not my favourite dish :P

Since Shoe Queen was a huge pasta fan, I decided to bring her here. This time, Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana has expanded next door so it was more spacious. The place once again filled up quite quickly. I had the cannelloni with spinach, ricotta and bechamel sauce $12.50. I baulked at the huge portion size- there were about 4 huge cannelloni on that dish. It was so tasty but I have difficulty finishing half of it as it was so filling.

Shoe Queen had the Gnocchi Sorrentina $12.50, which was a tomato based gnocchi, Sorrento style. Don’t expect gluggy gnocchi here- the gnocchi has a bit of a bite to it. I quite like the chewiness but I am not too sure whether your jaw will be sore after a while.

We also shared a crostata nutella slice $5.50 and it was awesome. It was quite a hard tart base but it was quite nice and buttery. I have also tried their orange polenta cake and that was irresistable also.

The most recent time I also tried the osso bucco with saffron risotto $17. Although the osso bucco was not as tender as I hoped, I love the flavour and it made a hearty meal in winter. I love the saffron risotto that goes with it also. Once again it was a huge portion and I had to force one of the boys to eat half of it for me. Sadly I forgot my iPhone that time so couldn’t take a pic.

Overall I love Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana. It hard to find traditional home-style Italian pasta in Melbourne at a reasonable price. I wish they would open at night so I can bring hubby there…they are open until 7 most weeknights I think, but that’s not late enough!
7.5/10